Anderson, Manley.  "Value Of Library Surpasses Visions Of Property Donor," Jamestown (NY) Post-Journal, 23 January 1960 p.26.
        The Post-Journal website:  http://post-journal.com/

Value Of Library Surpasses Visions Of Property Donor

Landmark Began Service to City 69 Years Ago

By Manley Anderson
    Post-Journal Staff Writer

    A copper roofed building of red and gray Medina stone today stands, largely as it has since it was opened in 1891, 
continuing to serve the community to a degree which the person responsible for it probably never anticipated.

    The well-known landmark occupies the entire block bounded by Washington, Fifth, Cherry and Sixth Streets and was conceived in the mind of a young Jamestown attorney before his untimely death in 1879 at the age of 31.

    The structure is the James Prendergast Free Library, plans for which were outlined in a memorandum found shortly after the death of James Prendergast, grandson of the city's founder. He left no will but his writings indicated that he had planned to provide for a free public reference and circulating library in Jamestown.

    The younger Prendergast's father, Alexander T. Prendergast, took steps to assure that his son's wishes would be carried out and named his son's law partner, Eleazer Green, to make necessary arrangements.

    Plans were that "The James Prendergast Library Association of Jamestown, NY" would be  organized and ownership of the Prendergast Building at Third and Main Streets turned over to it with returns from the building to accumulate until they reached a sum sufficient to purchase a site, construct the library and equip it. Mr. Green was in Albany when the legislature on Jan. 29, 1880, passed the act, creating the library association.

    The site on which the library is located was given the association by the younger Prendergast's parents. Years before, James Prendergast, the city's founder, had set the block aside and deeded it to First Congregational Church as a cemetery. The church had deeded the property to the Village of Jamestown and no burials had been made there for many years before it passed into hands of trustees of the library association.  Legislation was obtained to permit removal of the few bodies before any construction was begun.

    Actual construction started in 1889. The fireproofed structure, of "Carnegie style" design was planned by architect A.J. Warner, Rochester, and was a bigger edition of Batavia's library. Front steps at the library, from the street to the approach walk, are carved from solid marble.

    The library was completed two years later. It was opened Dec. 1,1891. The cost was about $50,000 with about $35,000 accumulated from Prendergast Building returns and the remainder contributed by Mrs. Alexander Prendergast.

    Under terms of Mrs. Prendergast's will, the library association received the family's private library, family portraits and other paintings, $25,000 to purchase paintings for the art gallery and $5,000 for reference books.

    The art gallery today is one of the library's principal attractions and contains more than 40 paintings. The portraits of the Prendergast family are by Daniel Huntington, one of the foremost artists of the day and who also painted Lincoln.

    The portrait of James Prendergast, the city's founder, was painted by an artist friend of the family who created it form memory when it was learned after the elder Prendergast's death that no picture or portrait of him could be found.

    The most valuable painting in the art gallery is "The Logcart" by Anton Mauve, cousin and teacher of Van Gogh.  The picture was valued at more than $3,000 in 1916. Next most prominent painting is "Cattle" by Madame Dieterle, daughter of the celebrated French artist, Emile van Marcke. "In the Garden" by Giovanni Boldini also attracts its share of attention.

    The elder Prendergast's sword, on display in the gallery, is of particular interest to youngsters visiting the room. The fireplace in the library lobby is the hearth from the Prendergast home.

    The main floor of the library, in addition to the art gallery, houses the reference room, the main stacks and the director's office. The basement contains the children's room, a work room, and a temporary staff room with the rest of the area unfinished.

    Old stack space in the basement was converted into an 18 seat children's room dedicated June 19, 1941. E. Snell Hall was chairman of the library board of trustees at the time and is given much credit for making the room possible. Cost of constructing the children's facility was financed through a contribution made by Mr. Hall and from funds subscribed by him from Mrs. George V. Blackstone, Mrs. Alice Ross Brown, Mrs. Charles D. Darrah, Mrs. Robert N. Marvin, Mrs. J. Ward Packard, Mrs. Ralph C. Sheldon, Miss Havena T. Stephens and J. Russell Rogerson.

    A temporary teenage corner has been constructed to accommodate ...(missing) users for whom no provisions were made in original building plans. The reference room seats 54 persons and greatly increased library use during recent years has caused persons closely connected with the building to consider seriously the possibility of an addition.

   Editor's note -  This is the first in a two-part series on the James Prendergast Free Library, one of Jamestown's landmark's that goes back into the City's early history. Watch for the final installment in next week's Post-Journal.

10/31/2003

jpl